Towards high integration and power density: Zigzag-type thin-film thermoelectric generator assisted by rapid pulse laser patterning technique

[Display omitted] •A high-density cross-plane thin-film TEG with novel z-type structure is fabricated.•Pulse laser ablation is for the first time introduced in TE legs patterning.•The TEG has an output of 500 mV and 1.04 mW cm−2 for a ΔT of 88 K.•Additional thermal resistance including thermal contact resistance is analyzed. Cross-plane thin-film thermoelectric generator has become a new hotspot as power supply for microelectronic chips and wearable devices. Nevertheless, the poor incompatibility between thin-film thermoelectric generator with high-density thermoelectric legs and traditional semiconductor processing leads to much difficulty in performance improvement. Herein, a Zigzag-type thermoelectric leg structure is designed assisted by a low-cost rapid pulse laser patterning technique to realize the fabrication of high-density thermoelectric arrays. Furthermore, an investigation of threshold fluences of interaction between laser and materials is conducted to explore the compatibility between pulse laser ablation and thin-film thermoelectric generator fabrication. With the high-property thermoelectric materials achieved by high temperature treatment, the high-density integrated thin-film thermoelectric generator presents a power density of 1.04 mW cm−2 at a temperature difference of 88 K. This high output makes it an excellent micro power source to drive a variety of devices for a self-power system. Moreover, a detailed analysis about the additional thermal resistance is carried out to provide a guide for the practical application.